Trent Alexander-Arnold’s spectacular goal highlighted Liverpool’s 4-0 victory over Accrington Stanley, propelling them into the FA Cup fourth round, while Chelsea convincingly defeated Morecambe 5-0.
Brentford was the sole Premier League team to lose to a lower league opponent, as Plymouth, sitting at the bottom of the Championship, caused an upset by beating the Bees 1-0 with a late goal from Morgan Whittaker.
At Anfield, there was never any risk of an upset, despite Arne Slot making eight changes to the Liverpool lineup. With Virgil van Dijk absent, Alexander-Arnold took on the captaincy and rose to the occasion after facing criticism for his performance in the recent draw against Manchester United.
Slot had cautioned Liverpool that for Accrington, playing at Anfield would feel like their “Champions League final.” Accrington, positioned 86 places below Liverpool in the English league system, managed to hold out for nearly 30 minutes before Diogo Jota tapped in a goal from Darwin Nunez’s low cross to break the deadlock.
Alexander-Arnold then scored a stunning long-range effort to extend the lead. Jayden Danns marked his second appearance of the season with a goal to make it 3-0, and Federico Chiesa, despite struggling with injuries since joining, netted his first goal for Liverpool with a shot that deflected off the post. “It’s a positive start for him, but we must remember we’re talking about League Two level,” Slot remarked on Chiesa’s performance.
Joao Felix shone for Chelsea in a rare start, contributing two goals alongside Tosin Adarabioyo, while Christopher Nkunku scored his 13th goal of the season after missing an early penalty.
Liverpool has been strong at home this season, second only to Brentford in points. Plymouth capitalized on a surprising situation, scoring against a Brentford squad that had been favored despite a recent management change. Whittaker’s long-range blast scored the decisive goal with just nine minutes left.
Nottingham Forest continued their strong form with a 2-0 win over Luton, while Brighton beat Norwich 4-0 with Georginio Rutter netting twice. Bournemouth rebounded from an early deficit to claim a 5-1 victory against West Brom, and Leicester outclassed QPR in a thrilling 6-2 match.
Meanwhile, Manchester City faced Salford City in a match against a fourth-tier team owned by former United stars including David Beckham and several others, helping Salford rise through the ranks since 2014. NFL legend Tom Brady’s Birmingham team has also moved on to the fourth round after defeating Lincoln 2-1. Wolves continued their solid start under new manager Vitor Pereira with a 2-1 win at Bristol City, thanks to goals from Rayan Aït-Nouri and Rodrigo Gomes.
